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Sunday, October 2, 2011

A Finish and a Start

Last Sunday I attended the annual hook-in at Joan's in support of her local Adams County Animal shelter. The pictures of the rugs have already been posted twice on Joann's Snippets and Scraps of My Mind and Kathy's Rugs of Mine...in Time, so I won't post them again.

I just wanted to mention that I love going to this hook-in! The setting is so lovely. Joan lives along this beautiful little trout stream near the South Mountain and it is one of the most relaxing places a person could be. This is the driveway going in. It was a cloudy day to begin with, but it cleared in late afternoon.

Joan made us a scrumptious lunch (with donations from a few other people). I wish I had gotten a picture of the buffet. There was a lot of hooking, talking and eating. Hookers seem to excel at all three!

Jill found a day-old kitten abandoned by it's mother in her barn and brought the tiny one along so she could feed it regularly. I have never seen a kitten so small. I don't know if the little guy has survived the week or not.

There were games and prizes, a raffle, secret auction, and show and tell with two special guests who are working on a secret project that will soon be unveiled in Rughooking Magazine. So keep an eye out for some amazing hooking of...hint! It starts with an A and involves fur, feathers and scales.

I had a wonderful day! Boy, was I exhausted when I got home!!!

In addition to the monetary donations, and proceeds from the raffle and auction,
Look! we Filled the Truck!!!

It has been rainy and dreary here for days (weeks???). Where was this water when we needed it so badly for our garden earlier this summer?

Zip and I have had a lot of 'indoor time' to work on our favorite hobbies.
As many of you know, Zip is a flyfisherman. He Goes most evenings of the week when the weather is good. Right now he's trying to get in as much fishing as possible before the weather turns cold.

He ties his own flies. He has help. Just can't do it on his own!

Notice the little white paw on the flytying tool. Also check the difference in Zip's hair in the two pictures. Is he becoming frazzled??? Ha-ha!

With all the tempting feathers, fur, and threads, who could resist! Penny is resting while Isabel takes over the harassment.

Check out the crossed tails! Is that like a kitty high five? Kinda a 'look what we did to Daddy now!!!' kind of thing?

And now! Ta-daaaaah!!!
The sweater is finished! I am so happy with this pattern from Deb Gemmel at Cabin Fever.
It is knit from the top down, all in one piece, with no seaming at all. When you are done knitting, you're done! It is done with A-line shaping for larger women and it fits beautifully.

I had trouble finding buttons. Our Joann store has such a tiny selection and when I did find anything I thought would work, there was only one or two cards left. And darn, I needed more!

So after reading about other knitters who had purchased really pretty handmade buttons on Etsy, I decided to make some from polymer clay. Working with Fimo and Sculpey is not my favorite thing to do but I bought the clay and went home with three different colors to mix and create the perfect button (ha!)

This easy little project took HOURS! I tried using all sorts of things to get texture on the darn things. I even tried stamping them with a piece of burlap. Finally I used the blade of my serrated tomato knife to make a woven look. Then the baking had to be done twice because I thought they were still too pliable after the first round. And still not the right color!!! Yikes. So back to Joann's for some acrylic paint and sealer. Finally a finished product that is acceptable.

Here they are! Half a day's work and two trips to Joann's worth of buttons!

Now you may ask (as I did) will they hold up in the wash??? They did! And the dryer too!

I needed a project to take along to Joan's last weekend so when I got up I quickly drew up this little mat to take along. As soon as it's finished there will be a give-away for my long overdue celebration for 100 Followers. More about that in a future post.

17 comments:

Well Pat, aern't you the cleaver one. Those buttons are just so perfect for the gorgeous sweater. My granddaughter works with Femo and creates amazing dragons. I'm so impressed with your creativity. I really love that sweater.

Those cats cracks me up. I think that they really want Zip to use some tail hair to tie in his flyties. They are hinting that he should be creative like their mama, lol...

I'll sure put my name in the draw for that Pat original mat when the time comes. Take care and I hope that you get some nice weather. Hugs, JB

Amazing Pat, you can create anything you want. Buttons turned out perfect! It looks wonderful on you too! Love the pictures of Zip. He has glasses on in the second one too. Too cute! Glad you got a shot of Joan's truck full of donations for the shelter. She did Wonderful! Love the star mat :)

What a great way (and place) to raise donations for the shelter! Bravo! Maybe if Zip makes a fly from cat hair he will catch a cat fish?!?!? lol! Love those buttons you made! You certainly are a talented gal! :-)

Wow Pat you made your own buttons!?!? I am amazed every time I pop by here at the fantastic things you do :-) My eldest brother lives in Sweden and is a fly fisherman too, but I don't believe he makes his own flies. I think with all those feathers and threads the kitties want Zip to make a toy for them!

Hi Pat,I just loved this post! From fly ties to tail crossings! Those are some really contented kitties! And those buttons are to die for!! When you are determined my friend there's nothing you can't do!! They are beautiful and you should be proud that you learned how to make them! Your sweater is gorgeous and done just in time for I'm sending you some cold air soon! LOL!I will be anxiously awaiting for the chance to win a draw for that wonderful mat!! You folks stay happily creating!!Hugs!Cathy G

This has got to be your best ever post Pat, Tom was in my workroom at the time and we laughed so much over Zip's hair, sorry, we are not mean but I know you wont' mind. It just epitomises what cats do to us. These cats sure do get us all het up don't they. The crossed tails must mean something, they know what it is but we will have to guess. I am always trying to type with a black body walking to and fro in front of me obscuring the screen and keyboard. lolThe buttons are really lovely, I have some fimo but have never given it a go, messy stuff in not really my scene.How about that gorgeous little kitten, I do hope it makes it. I remember when ours were like that.Thanks again for such a laugh and say sorry to Zip for laughing.....Keep well both of you.Brionyx

How do we ever finish anything without our little kitties to help us? I always thought that people without cats must find making the bed terribly boring!Your sweater looks great and how clever are you to make your own buttons. The hard work was worth it--so much better than anything you would find at JoAnnes!

I love your sweater, and the buttons. Your kitty friends were probably trying to help Zip with the flies, so he could hurry up and bring home the fish! I really like your blog! It is always interesting, and never boring

I am so impressed by your buttons ...they are perfect for that cardigan.What a wonderful place to have a creative gathering ...I think talking and eating must go with all crafting lol.I hope the tiny kitten made it ...I know the first 3 weeks are so hard.Had to laugh at your cats distracting Zip ...the hair said so much. xx

Hi Pat..Love the photos of Zip and the cats! I could tell they were really helping him...And that sweet kitten...Oh my.....I had a hooking with my group Monday...SO relaxing isn't it? Blessings to you, Zip and the cats!

I love those kitties. Love the crossed tails. I do hope the little baby kitty makes it. Your sweater is wonderful, never knew much about knitting but it sounds like a neat idea to be able to knit it with no seams. Love the 3 star hooking.

It has been years since I have tied any flies and I would imagine that Ms K would do the same as I see by the pictures you have presented us here.

At first it looked like Ms K was on the tiers table, considering they look very alike. In the meantime Ms K does occupy a lot the space between me and the laptop's keyboard, that I end up balancing the laptop practically on my knees.

Hi Pat, thanks for your comment on my blog. To answer your question, yes it's a polydacty kitten. I nicknamed her mitten. She is too friendly to be a barn cat. I'm hoping to find a good home for her. It's so fun seeing all the kitten play and climb and wrestle with each other and then they hug and cuddle together to sleep on the hay.

I read Joanne's blog and I was glad that the kitten had survived. She did a fantastic job of caring for it. They do take special care when they are new born.

I've enjoyed the hot day today but was so lazy that I didn't get any cleaning done in the garden. Instead, I took a nap this afternoon.

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About Me

My name is Pat and I am an eccentric old woman!
My husband, Zip, and I live in an 1860's brick farmhouse in rural south-central PA. We are lovers of gardening and cooking, as well as handcrafts. I have been a weaver, spinner, basketmaker, etc. since back in the 1970's I have been rughooking for about fifteen years, usually hooking my own designs. Zip is a flyfisherman and plays the guitar.
Last, but certainly not least, our lives are blessed by the companionship of six delightful cats.

Home is where the cats are...

Deiter, the Big Guy

Isabel "Izzy", shy but feisty

Penny, cute and fearless

Reggie, our teenage wild boy

Tipper, the Grand Dame

Millie, the loveable Wild Child

Cosmic Wizzard rug

Please note that the rug designs shown on my blog are either my own designs or someone else's.

They are copyrighted!

That means that you are not allowed to take them from here and reproduce them without the consent of the designer.

All of us who design rugs for rughooking are very appreciative of your interest in what we create. If you wish to hook one of these designs, please contact me and I will find out where you can purchase the pattern.

Moon and Stars Watermelon rug

I LOVE reading blogs! One after another....

My list is made up of blogs that reflect my current interests. I like to choose blogs that are active and updated often. It's a pleasure to have new reading material each morning with that first cup of coffee!